Review published on October 6, 2017.

Julia and Caroline are best friends, brought together by their young children, who are play mates. Julia is struggling with the abandonment of her husband of 17 years, Harry, when Brendan enters her life. Seemingly ordinary, and something that Caroline can’t quite put her finger on, she is immediately wary of the way Brendan ingratiates his way into Julia’s life, and her son’s, so quickly. Could he be too good to be true?

As secrets are gradually revealed to the reader, the more we can see how the characters’ lives have transformed.

This is a great book. I was hooked from the start as the drama is told from both Julia’s and Caroline’s points of view, one trusting, one suspicious and, further on, Brendan’s chapters are slowly slotted in, giving us an insight into all three characters and how their lives intertwine.

I loved the way we get to see how they think, and how scenarios were seen from different points of view. I have to say some of the subjects covered by the author were difficult and brave to tackle and I was extremely impressed at how well told they were, even to the point of feeling slightly uncomfortable. The way the characters are all covering something up in some way is very clever and intriguing. This is a truly edgy and current read.

For a debut novel I really, really loved this book. It’s easy to pick up, with the short bursts of different characters contributing to the small sections in the chapters making it a quick read. I was interested in all the characters enough to keep on with the less likeable ones which frustrated me (and, again, that’s all credit to the author for being so descriptive) and I loved the way the storyline teased us throughout, from going back to the past to seeing how their futures pan out.

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